blevney



(No Model.)

J. C. BLEVNEY.

AMALGAMATOR. No. 310,172. Patented Jan. 6, 1885.

0% www? llamen STaTns FaTnivT @ru-icm JOHN C. BLEVNEY, OF NEIVARhQ'IYEYV JERSEY.

AMALGAMATR.

FECIPCAIIJN forming part of Letters Patent No. 310,172, dated January6,1885.

Application filed January C, i884. (No model.)

To all wiz/0m, t may concern:

Be it known that I, .Toi-IN U. BLnvNnv, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of Newark, in the county of Essex and Stateof New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAmalgamators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machinery for amalgamating metalsas gold,itc-with quicksilver and similar substances, and the objects of thisinvention are to provide an amalgamator with a largeamalgamatiiig-surface, and. means for keeping the quicksilverin constantmotion by paddles that have their bearing and support out ot' the reachof the amalgamating materials. 'I attain these objects by the mechanismillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is an endview of a section of the apparatus, and Fig. 2 a cross-sectional view oftwo jointed sections with attachments, through the line a b of Fig. l.

Similar letters refer to similarI parts throughout the several views.

The bracket A, attached tothe side B of the channel B, forms thebearings C C ot' the shaft S, to which is secured the double pulley land the paddle-wheel F. lIhe channel B has its inner surfaces platedfirst with a coating of copper and then with a coating of silver,preierably by thevelectro-plate process. Its side C forms an angle ofabout sixty degrees to the bottom O, which has a depression and pocket,p, provided with Y pipe I'I, and through which the steam-pipe E passes.The paddle-wheelF is also coatedin the same man-v ner and with the samematerial as the inner surfaces of B, and is of such constriiiction thatwhen revolving it will tit and move close to the sides of the channel B,but will not touch them. rIlhe reservoir I is connected by the pipe IIto the pocket p, and has an overflow, q, on alevel with theuppersurfac'e ot' O, forming the bottom of B.

Operating the amalgamator, I prefer to have a series o1" sectionssecured water-tight together, forming a continuous channel, with aseries of paddle-wheels, having one end oil the channel closed by ahead, D, and the other open, to have the pipe II connect all the pocketsand the receiving-tank I, and to have the pipe E, supplied with steam,pass through all the sections. The quicksilver supplied to the apparatuswill lill the pipe and pockets until overtlowing at q, and any oreamalgamating with it will increase its bulk. Unless drawn olf by Ii orsimilar means, the Quicksilver will be kept at a level to the overflowduring the running of the apparatus and be always within reach of thepaddles. Revolving the paddles by means ot' the pulleys or similarcontrivanccs and ad mittingthe pulverized ore and water, the Quicksilverwill be mixed with them and amalgamate with the metal contained therein,the whole being propelled by thepaddles to the next pocket, where theamalgam will sink and flow through thepipelinto the tank I. The same isrepeated until the series is passed, when the water and powder, freefrom metal, flows out the open end of the channel B'. By mixing thequicksilver with the pulverized ore and water the largest possiblesurface for amalgamating is obtained. The shaft S, having the bearingsand supports in the frame A outside of the channel B, enables me to keepthe oil and lubricants from mixing with ore, and so preventamalgamation, while the inclination of the shaft enables me to have thepaddles almost wholly in the channel B', enabling the sides of the saineto form an absolute guidefor the material. The heating powers oi' thesteam applied helps the amalgamation.

I am aware that prior to my invention amalgamators have been constructedwith paddles, and l'. therefore do not claim them broadly. In one caseknown to me an inclined shaft has its bearingsoutside oi'theamalgamating-vessel, but in such instance there is no paddlewheel orstirring device fitting the vessel, but an annular shield is made to litover the rim of a wheel rigidly secured to the shaft.

I am also aware that shafts of stirring devices have been arranged at auinclination, but in all amalganiators of this class heretofore made theinclined shaft has a bearing in the amalgamati11g-vessel. Thisconstruction I avoid, and I would add, in relation to the connections ofthe pockets with the reservoir, that the arrangement is substantially asshown, to maintain a constant level of mercury or amalgam by allowingredux and overflow, as described.

I claim as new and desire to procure by Letters Patentl. In anamalganrator, the combination,

IOO

with a sectional channel, B', provided with pockets, of a paddle-Wheelrevolving in line with and fitting close tosaid channel, and secured toa shaft mounted outside of and at an inclination to the level of saidchannel, for the purpose substantially as set forth.

2. In an anialgainator, a series of paddle- Wheels, each secured to aseparate shaft revolving at an inclination to the level of the apparatusand parallel to one another, said shafts being` journaled outside of theamalgamating channel, in combination with a straight channel formed of aseries of sections secured together, each having a pocket communicatingWith a pipe connecting` them and to a reservoir, for the purposesubstantially as set forth.

3. In an amalgamator of the kind described, a series of pockets forholding` amalgam, each pocket connected by a pipe to one adjacent and toa reservoir, for the purpose substantially as described.

4. The combination, in an amalganiator, of a series of sections havingeach a pocket coniniunicating With one another and a reservoir, and asteam-pipe passing through them, for the purpose substantially as setforth.

5. In an amalganiator, the combination of a series of sections forming achannel having the pockets j), the connecting-pipe H, the steam-pipe E,the reservoir I, and a series of paddle-Wheels mounted at an angle tothe level of the apparat-us, and means for revolving` them, all for thepurpose substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed mynaine, in presence -of two Witnesses, this 24th day of January, 1884s.

JOHN o. yBLEVNEY.

lvitnesses:

MARY H. BLnvNnY, GEORGE H. VINCENT.

